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2023 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration (Income $30-$48k) in Virginia

7 Ranked Colleges
604 Degrees Awarded
$17,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2020-2021, 16,897 people earned their degree in public administration, making the major the 49th most popular in the United States.

Across Virginia, there were 604 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 7 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public administration. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent public administration programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the public administration program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia public admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 7 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration (Income $30-$48k) in Virginia

1
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia Tech. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k. Virginia Tech is a large public school situated in Blacksburg, Virginia. It awarded 44 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Virginia Tech also made our “Best Public Administration Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Tech is $14,003 for Virginia Public Admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at Virginia Tech

2
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, this large public school awarded 79 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at JMU, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $14,985 for Virginia Public Admin students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend James Madison University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full JMU Public Administration Report

3
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Fairfax, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 118 students in 2020-2021.

GMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $15,979 for virginia public admin students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend George Mason University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Public Administration at George Mason University

4
Old Dominion crest
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Old Dominion University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k. This large school is located in Norfolk, Virginia, and it awarded 44 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Old Dominion, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Old Dominion is $13,574 for virginia public admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Public Administration at Old Dominion University

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Richmond, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 41 students in 2020-2021.

VCU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend VCU is $15,891 for Virginia Public Admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Virginia Commonwealth University Public Administration Report

6
Regent crest
Regent University
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Regent University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. Regent is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It awarded 32 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia public admin students whose families make $30-$48k list, Regent has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Regent is $20,707 for Virginia Public Admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Regent University Public Administration Report

7
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in Lynchburg, Virginia, and it awarded 196 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia public admin students whose families make $30-$48k list, Liberty University has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $27,251 for virginia public admin students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Liberty University.

Read full report on Public Administration at Liberty University

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Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

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